Selections from The Sutra of Complete Enlightenment: Illusion and Desire, Part 2 of 2

“Buddha, if all beings are Buddhas originally, then why is there ignorance? ‘Good man, intentional thoughts arise from the action of our mind. They are the conditions of six objects (that six-sense organs perceive) and illusory thoughts, not the real Nature of mind, and they are like flowers in empty space. To think by these thoughts and distinguish the state of Buddhas is like that of empty flowers causing illusory fruits. These thoughts make you continuously and repeatedly think falsely and there is nothing correct. Good man, there are many tricky views in our illusory wafted mind. They cannot make people achieve complete Enlightenment expediently. To distinguish things like that will not make correct questions.’”

“Buddha! If there are Bodhisattvas and the beings in the era that Buddhism is going to be extinguished who want to travel Buddha’s great sea of Nirvana, then what should they do to cut off the source of the cycle of birth-and-death? How many categories (of beings) are there in the cycle of birth-and-death? How many kinds of differences are there in practicing Buddha’s Enlightenment? If a Bodhisattva returns to the cycle of birth-and-death, what expedient ways should he preach to make the beings get relief? ‘Good man, from long long ago to now, because all beings have various kinds of “likes” and desires, therefore there is the cycle of birth-and-death. All kinds of beings in the universe — no matter that they are born from egg, born from womb, born by moisture, or born by transformation — have life because of sexual desire. You should know, “like” is the source of the cycle of birth-and-death. Because there are desires making beings to generate “like,” therefore, they can make beings be born and die repeatedly. Desires appear because of “likes”, lives exist because of desires, and “beings like their own lives” depend on desires to be the source: “Likes” and desires are the causes of the cycle of birth-and-death and to like lives is the effect of the cycle of birth-and-death. Due to desires, there are the satisfactory states and opposite states and if there are beings who are opposite “like,” then “dislike” appears and it (makes beings) create bad karma; therefore, the beings will be born in hell and hungry spiritual realms.

All of these behaviors are in the cycle of birth-and-death. They will not make the beings become saints. So, if there are beings who want to get relief from birth-and-death and avoid the cycle of birth-and-death, they should firstly cut off desire and remove “like”.’”